BICYCLING ON THE SUNSET STRIP, LOS ANGELES, 2006
As with all of my bicycle videos (bicycle
thing) I rode through traffic without holding the steering
wheel, this time in Los Angeles along SUNSET STRIP. Different
to other streets where I had been bicycling directly against traffic in
mostly one way lanes, this time I rode on the 2-way Sunset Boulevard.
I chose to ride mostly in the middle lane, which is reserved for turning.
This had not only to do with the fact that I am not completely suicidal
- the cars along that part of the boulevard drive very fast through the
sinious up and downs - but also with the centrality, beauty and velocity
of this famous section of Hollywood.
The route chosen corresponds to the strip photographed by Ed Ruscha for his photo series "Every Building on the Sunset Strip" from the 1960s. (between 8024 Sunset to 9171 Sunset, and back again). I rode the bicycle during late morning rush hour at about10 am on Monday May First. Traffic was relatively low, perhaps due to the May 1st Anit-Immigration protests around Los Angeles. This is a car dominated city and there is not much patience or any kind of infrastructure for bicycles. Few bicyclists are to be seen - but there are some. (mostly under-previleged people).
